COTA Tasmania's Sue Leitch addresses the crowd at the launch of the Hobart Co-design Aged Care Information and Support Resource in Tasmania (Source: Nick Leitch)

The Hobart Co-design Aged Care Information and Support Resource, launched by Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia recently, will seek to provide quality aged care information and support to seniors.

The resource was launched in partnership with COTA Tasmania, residential and community aged care service provider Uniting Age Well and aged care and disability service provider South Eastern Community Care.

Developed and trialled in Tasmania by local seniors, the resource provides contact details for national and local organisations that offer pathways to accessing care and support.

COTA Australia Chief Executive Officer Ian Yates says access to the appropriate support at the right time and in the right way is vital to enhancing the independence and quality of life of older Australians.

“This project is an important step in ensuring that all citizens have choice and control, know their rights, and can proactively engage with, and be engaged with, their service providers,” he says.

The resource, which is a product of a co-design group from COTA’s Engagement in Aged Care Project (CEAC), was designed to help people navigate the aged care system.

CEAC Project Manager David White says the resource would give older Australians the necessary information they need to begin to access support and maintain their independence as they age, praising the hard work of the consumers, carers and staff who participated in its production.

“People who access aged care services and their families, along with service providers, can positively influence change in the sector by creating solutions to common concerns,” says Mr White.

“The co-design model allowed consumers to identify and develop what they saw as a gap in information available on aged care.”

Tasmanian family carer Ian Johnston was a participant in the co-design group and commended the organisers on their honesty, flexibility and focus on the needs of the community.

“What I’ve got out of this is ownership,” Mr Johnson says.
“We’ve taken what was needed on board and it’s been very open, with us making the final decisions.

“It’s the first time I’ve honestly seen my community come together like this and it’s been amazing - it should be used in more areas of policy, to be honest.”

The Hobart Co-design Aged Care Information and Support Resource is currently only available in Tasmania. For more information on the resource and more, visit www.cota.org.au/agedcareinfo.